


Ring Around the Campfire

by Corvusix



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Bonding, Dancing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Panic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28846131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corvusix/pseuds/Corvusix
Summary: Phil found out Ranboo has a jukebox, decided to take him dancing by the campfire, and talk about life lessons.---Arctic Commune bonding gen fic, normalize platonic dancing yall.
Relationships: Ranboo & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 184





	Ring Around the Campfire

"Pass me that spruce, will ya? "

It was a good day. Phil finally got around to build the new house for the dogs and Ranboo was more than willing to lend a helping hand. Together, they managed to set the general foundation down when the sun started to set. Lighting his campfire, Ranboo watched Phil quickly fixing up a pot of beef stew and set it on the flame to cook.

The spruce planks got quickly covered in a light layer of snow as they sat down around the flickering campfire. Ranboo pats the snow off his cloak so it won't burn him when melted by the heat. The hearty scent of beef and vegetables filled his little shack as the stew started to bubble and Phil spooned out their portions.

For a while, they sat in companionable silence, taking sips of the warmed stew and watching the fire dance.

Life had been good for Ranboo ever since coming to the snow land. He had people he’s comfortable talking to and had his own space that he could escape to should he need it. Techno had been rather indifferent to him in general, much to Ranboo’s relief. The piglin even tried to initiate some friendly interactions awkwardly after he gifted him the neitherite axe, which made Ranboo quite nervous at first, but Phil just laughed and told him that’s just Techno trying to make friends.

And there’s also Phil.

Phil had always been a breeze to hang out with. The older man would laugh at his jokes and make small talks while respecting his boundaries at the same time. He’d nudge Ranboo to take a break or have some food but never commanding, trusting Ranboo to make his own decisions.

He doesn’t need to worry about people finding and reading his journal. Techno had proved himself to be trust-worthy and Phil needs no proof.

He doesn’t need to worry about being forced to not wear armor. _Rule no.1 on the Arctic_ , Phil had said with a giggle, _wear your fucking armor! There are pitfalls everywhere. This place is a deathtrap!_

He doesn’t need to worry about his stuff being stolen or taken. Techno was _loaded_ , and Phil made way too many farms for any of them to even consider rationing.

He doesn’t need to worry if others will trust him. Instead of trust, he’d like to think that they _tolerate_ him, more or less. Besides, Ranboo wasn’t arrogant enough to think that he would be able to threaten two of the most wanted men in the land, the formerly infamous Antarctica Alliance.

_Unless._

A tiny voice nagged in the back of his head about something he had forgotten ( _again_ ) but Ranboo ignored it, preferring to savour the quiet and peaceful moment.

“Ooh, you got a jukebox here?” Phil’s excited voice broke his trance.

Looking at the direction of Phil’s finger, Ranboo realized that indeed, there was a jukebox sitting next to his bed. He had to fill and flatten the terrain around his house earlier ( _why was it all dug up?_ ) so they could lay the foundation properly. Maybe he accidentally lay the things out when he sorted the storages ( _Why were there stacks of dirt in his chests?_ ).

“Yeah, I, um, I guess I have one now.”

_Isn’t that supposed to be in his panic room?_

“Hmm. Got any disks to play?”

Ranboo felt himself froze, swishing tail stiffened around his thigh.

_Does he know how much does he know he can’t know there’s no way he can know know what what are we not telling him what are we hiding don’t remember—_

“I think Techno got a couple. I can go get them if you wait here a bit.” The shorter man started to stand up. “Dancing around the campfire gotta need some tunes.”

Ranboo caught on to the unfamiliar word.

“Dancing?” He muttered.

“Yeah! Eat food and get drunk and dance in a wobbly circle around the campfire, the snow land tradition!” Phil flicked the snow out of his cloak. “You gotta do something fun in the winter or you gonna go nuts. That was how Techno and I survived the polar nights. Light a bonfire, drink and dance the night away. Well,” He scratched his head rather bashfully. “ _I_ did all the drinking. Techno was too young for that.”

“You and Techno...dancing?” Ranboo asked incredulously. He can semi-picture Phil dancing, maybe an elegant waltz in a ballroom with a live band. But Phil getting drunk and dancing to a bonfire? With _Techno_? Just thinking about the latter dancing was enough to make his head hurt.

“What about it, mate?” There was a mock-anger in Phil’s face and the older man nudged him with an elbow playfully. “Can’t two friends just dance together for funsies?”

“No! Nothing wrong with that!” Ranboo exclaimed. “I just...” He couldn't help but let out a snicker, all the doubts left forgotten in the wind. “It’s kinda hard to picture you two dancing like that is all.”

“Well then, you are in for a treat, mate, ‘cause I’m here to eat stew and dance to the fire.” Phil showed him his empty bowl. “And now I’m all out of stew!”

A laugh burst out of Ranboo, which startled him, as he didn’t even realize he was still capable of doing so. Putting down his also-empty bowl, He showed Phil his small collection of music disks and picked out the one with an orange-red label. _Block_.

“I think this one may work.”

“Well put it in then.” Phil laughed, watching Ranboo turning on the jukebox. “Ooh, it does have a bop to it. I like it.”

He only nodded along with the beat at first, gradually stretching his body and popping the joints. As more notes started the join in, the blonde started to slowly swing around the campfire, tapping his feet against the ground.

“This is good slow dance music.” Phil closed his eyes. “Pretty cozy. Reminds me of the days we get to dance after a banquet.”

Ranboo chuckled at the sight as the older man did an awkward twirl, almost tripping into the campfire. He held Phil back by the arms, giggling and catching the bucket hat that flew off by the sudden movement.

“You didn’t even drink, Phil, or was there something in the stew?”

“Oopsie-daisy.” The older man also giggled, putting the bucket hat back on his head. “That was just a part of my moves, man, I’m totally rocking it.”

“Of course, of course. Because Philza Minecraft is the best dancer the world has to offer.”

“Now you are just being rude, young man.” Phil jokingly jabbed a finger in his arm. “Wanna show off some moves of yours?”

“Um,” Ranboo shrank back. “I don’t know how to dance.”

Phil turned to study him, a small lopsided grin on his face. The warm light from the campfire painted his blue eyes a warm green shade and Ranboo felt himself relax again.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” He said gently. “But really, dancing is just doing weird moves that make you happy.”

Ranboo sucked in a breath and put on a shy smile.

“Alright then, Mr. Minecraft.” He teased. “Mind teaching me how to be an expert dancer like you?”

“Right, Ranboo, life lesson number one: when you want to dance with someone, be it a lady or a lad or else, ask permission first.” Phil extended a hand to him with a mock bow. “Shall we, my good friend?”

“Of course.” Ranboo let the older man held his hand and guided him through the movement. Phil didn’t do any fancy move. The two of them were literally just circling the campfire while holding hands and swinging left and right, with an occasional twirl or two led by Phil.

Sometimes Ranboo would trip over himself ( _curse his gangly limbs_ ), sometimes he would misstep and stepped on Phil. The leading dancer would laugh light-heartedly, patting him on the shoulder and shushing his apologies.

“No need to make a fuss, mate. I ain’t made of glass.”

He showed Ranboo how to move his feet, how to follow the rhyme of the music, and how to find the pacing that was just right for him.

“We all make mistakes, Ranboo. That’s just how we learn.”

They circled around the corner of his shack, narrowly dodged the neatly-stacked lumber and they both started laughing. Over Phil’s shoulder, Ranboo can see his bunny tucked herself in his bed, buried under a pile of blankets and sound asleep.

“You are a young man. You knew a lot of things already, but you are still learning about the world and how things work.”

Phil swiftly kicked the used bowls aside. One of Techno’s dogs leashed nearby grabbed a hold of them and started licking lazily.

“Gonna be honest, I’m not the model adult you should look up to, Ranboo, but I do care about you.” Their movement slowed as the music gradually faded, only the flickering of flame and the shuffling of their footsteps in the air.

“If you ever need help, kiddo, talk to me, yeah?”

Maybe there were some magical ingredients in the beef and vegetable stew. Maybe it was because of the warmth from the campfire. Maybe it was the genuineness in Phil’s eyes and the softness of his expression. A heavyweight was lifted from Ranboo’s chest as Phil released his hands and went to replace the disk. He felt lighter, a nameless cheer bubbling in his throat.

He didn’t really expect Phil to care...that much.

The older man cared enough to pull him from lava and persuaded Techno to let him go, then let him stay, but Ranboo didn’t expect anything beyond that.

Hiding his sniffle in an awkward cough, Ranboo roughly wiped his nose and eyes with his sleeves.

_What had he done to deserve it?_

Phil pushed the new disk in with a small click. Cheerful beats and a light-hearted melody filled the space.

Ranboo froze.

Of course, that’s _his_ Cat. Tommy isn’t the only one who owns a Cat disk on the server. It’s one of the most common disks obtainable from dungeons and mansions. As far as he had heard, both Karl and Eret also have a cat disk.

But all this knowledge couldn’t stop the coldness and dread spreading through his body. A cold sweat broke out on his back, stinging his skin.

The tiny voice he shoved away earlier was now full-on raging, screaming, and gnawing away his consciousness. Ranboo searched frantically in his unreliable memory for any clue for his panic but found none. He’s just listening to a disk that he owned. Tommy’s Cat is still in Skeppy’s possession. Phil just wants to have a cheerful song to dance to and everything will be fine. He will be fine.

The _voice_ isn’t real.

He hunched over, stomach churning and his dinner threatening to back out. The weight lifted previously was back, and it was crushing his whole being.

“...boo? Ranboo?”

Phil was calling him, voice thick with concern. Ranboo wanted to assure him that he’s fine, he will be _fine_ , but breathing was hard, his chest was tight, his legs were weak and wobbly, and Phil will catch him. He _will_ catch him.

He fell into a warm embrace.

Phil let him planted his face into his shoulder, blonde hair tickling his cheeks. One calloused hand petted through his dual-toned hair gently while the other rubbing comforting circles on his back. Ranboo’s tears soaked through his cloak and dyeing the dark fabric an ugly sight. Phil gently maneuvered him into sitting down at the log they sat on earlier, still keeping his arms around him.

“Shhhhhhh. It’s alright. Let it out, mate.”

Ranboo swallowed a hiccup, wrapping his arms around Phil’s neck, and felt like a little child. Questions and doubts raced through his mind at lightning speed, making him think about everything and nothing at once. He still couldn’t figure out the cause of his episode, so he returned to the most natural conclusion to him.

“I messed up again, Phil. I did bad things.”

The warm hand rubbing his back paused. Panic pushed another whimper out of him, and he kept his arms loose in case Phil wants to leave.

“I don’t remember what I did but, but I know I did wrong again. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I listened to _him_ but I did it, I started it.”

Phil let out a sigh and embraced him tighter.

“As I said, Ranboo. We all make mistakes.”

He’s petting the back of his neck now, with just the right amount of pressure to make his ears flicker. Ranboo wished he will never stop.

“Tell me about it. We will figure things out. We can help.”

The young man choked back a sob, daring to claw into Phil’s cloak tighter.

“Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Curls into a ball as I have no experience dancing whatsoever and also have no idea how to describe music. For the lack of better words, Blocks gave me a winter stardew valley vibe so that’s why I chose it.  
> You can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/Corvusix_X) and [tumblr](https://corvusix-x.tumblr.com/)


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